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Finding Carter isn’t necessarily a bad show, but it has, at times, been a frustrating one. We want to empathize with leading lady, Carter (after all, the girl has been though a lot), but she makes it hard sometimes. Her bio fam tries to welcome and embrace her, and she’s mostly intent on pushing them away and finding a way back to Lori, her kidnapper. This week, Carter is finally faced with the decision she’s seemed so sure about all along: Whether to go with Lori or stay with her real family.

She has it all planned out and she’s ready to run, but then comes the snag: It’s her (and Taylor’s) birthday. It’s the first happy birthday her twin has ever had (it’s usually been a sad memorial day), and she’s about to take that away and make it the day the family lost their daughter for a second time. It might seem like the stakes couldn’t get much higher than deciding to run away with a felon and assume a new identity, and a teenage girl’s birthday might seem small in comparison. But boy, does Finding Carter do a good job of making Taylor having a happy birthday the biggest of all the episode’s priorities. Carter has a big decision ahead of her.

So what does Carter decide? Initially, it’s to go ahead with the big birthday bash her grandma decides to throw for her and Taylor, then cap off the night by running away and breaking the hearts of everyone who loves her.

But first: shopping spree!

Okay, while the shopping spree is undeniably adorable, it’s also the most LOL-worthy product placement I’ve seen in a long while. Grandma Joan gives both girls fully loaded gift cards for Macy’s. They have a fun romp around the local Macy’s. They bring their goodies home and splay out on the floor, framed by trendy-but-affordable teen clothes and Macy’s bags. Basically, this episode of Finding Carter was brought to you by Macy’s.

But shameless product placement aside, let’s get back to how adorable the girls’ shopping trip was. Taylor and Carter inadvertently pick out the same dress (it’s navy blue with lace—sexy for Taylor and tame for Carter, exactly like Grandma Joan ordered). They have a cute moment of “You get it!”/”No, you get it!” banter before they decide to embrace their twin status and BOTH get the dress (which, for the record, looks better on Taylor, even though it’s supposed to be “obvious” that it looks better on Carter).

Then it’s on to the best PG-rated birthday two newly-17-year-olds could ask for. There’s cake!

There’s loving family.

There’s a cheering crowd of friends.

And somewhere in the middle of all this, Carter starts to feel really bad about leaving. She’s still going to do it, of course, but she feels really bad about it.

And then comes the sister-to-sister chat. Taylor thanks Carter for a good birthday. Carter talks about how weird it is to have a new birthday (she thinks she’s only been 16 for a few months). And then Taylor asks when Carter has been celebrating her birthday, and the bomb drops: Carter has been celebrating the day she was abducted. This was very plainly foreshadowed (in flashback, Lori and Carter celebrate her “birthday,” and Lori says it’s her favorite day because it’s the day she became a mother), but it still rocks Carter’s world. Even though she’s known all along that Lori kidnapped her, something about this fact seems to make it click. You can see the “It was all lies…” look in Carter’s eyes, and in that moment, we’re finally allowed to like her for a second. She’s letting the walls down and experiencing the mixed emotions she’s been choking down with a steady regimen of resentment and snark.

She decides to stay and confides in David about the whole plan to meet Lori and flee together. It would be a really sweet moment to end on, but then David gets weird. He goes to tell Elizabeth, who has decided not to keep pursuing Lori or to even notify the police (there is, I’m sure, a happy medium between being hellbent on being the cop who arrests the woman who kidnapped and then raised your daughter … and not even bothering to alert the authorities when she tries to re-kidnap her). They decide that the best course of action is to call Lori on the burner phone she gave Carter. David plays tough and tells her to stay away from his family. He lies that the police are on their way, but then Lori says something intriguing and horrifying: that David never was a good liar.

Um, what?

Were David and Lori involved? Did he play a part in Carter’s abduction? He has been slimy about the secret book deal. Say it ain’t so, David! I really want to like you!

What did you think of this week’s Finding Carter? Are you warming up to Carter now that she decided to stay? What do you think is going on with David and Lori? Sound off in the comments!

Expression Of JoyThe Brady Bunch: Groovy! The Bradys: Ritual hugging Married…With Children: ”Oh, great.” Thirtysomething: ”Of course I’m happy for you. Really. But what about me? Why does it always have to be about you? The Flintstones: ”Yabba-dabba doo

Expression Of Rage

The Brady Bunch: ”Hmmm…” The Bradys: ”If you back away from something you really want, then you’re a quitter!” (the angriest any Brady has ever been) Married…With Children: ”Aaagh, God, take me from this miserable life!” Thirtysomething: ”I’m not angry, OK?” The Flintstones: ”Willllmaaaa!”

Typical ProblemThe Brady Bunch: Marcia and her rival both want to be the prom queen. The Bradys: Bobby gets paralyzed. Married…With Children: Al doesn’t buy his family Christmas presents. Thirtysomething: Nancy gets cancer. The Flintstones: Fred and Barney are staying out too late.

Typical SolutionThe Brady Bunch: The prom committee decides to have two queens. The Bradys: Bobby gets married. Married…With Children: They hate him. Thirtysomething: If only we knew… The Flintstones: Wilma and Betty decide to follow them.

Attitude Toward SexThe Brady Bunch: Never heard of it The Bradys: Omigod — even Cindy does it! Married…With Children: Peg: Yes. Al: No. Thirtysomething: They didn’t get all those kids by accident. The Flintstones: Prehistoric

How Spouses FightThe Brady Bunch: They don’t. The Bradys: Infrequently, but it happens Married…With Children: Tooth and nail Thirtysomething: They stop talking The Flintstones: Fred and Barney go bowling while Wilma and Betty max out their charge cards.

How Kids Get Into TroubleThe Brady Bunch: Greg takes a puff of a cigarette. The Bradys: Carol’s grandson steals her business cards and sticks them in the spokes of Bobby’s wheelchair. Married…With Children: By committing felonies Thirtysomething: Ethan plays with a forbidden toy rocket. The Flintstones: They don’t.

How They’re Punished

The Brady Bunch: ”It’s not what you did, honey — it’s that you couldn’t come to us.” The Bradys ”Next time, ask.” Married…With Children: By the authorities Thirtysomething: It blows up in his face. The Flintstones: They’re not.

What Family Does For FunThe Brady Bunch: Takes special three-part vacations to Hawaii and the Grand Canyon The Bradys: Has flashbacks Married…With Children: Exchanges insults Thirtysomething: Talks The Flintstones: Attends showings of The Monster at the Bedrock Drive-In

Unsolved MysteriesThe Brady Bunch: How exactly did Carol’s first husband and Mike’s first wife die? The Bradys: What’s with Marcia’s new face and Bobby’s blonde hair Married…With Children: What kind of hair spray does Peg use? Thirtysomething: Why did Nancy take Elliot back? What do Gary and Susanna see in each other? The Flintstones: How does Barney’s shirt stay on if he has no shoulders? Where do Fred and Wilma plug in their TV?

Worst BehaviorThe Brady Bunch: The Brady children once made Alice feel under-appreciated.

Best Reason To WatchThe Brady Bunch: This is what life should be. The Bradys: They’re all grown-ups now! Married…With Children: Terry Rakolta hates it. Thirtysomething (Tie) This is your life. This isn’t your life. The Flintstones: This is what life might have been.

Best Reason Not To WatchThe Brady Bunch: Blurred vision from rerun overdoses. The Bradys: You’re all grown-ups now. Married…With Children: She has a point. Thirtysomething: After a while, you think it’s real. The Flintstones: The Simpsons